


What Makes A Monster and What Makes A Skeleton?

by Sins_of_the_Scruff



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Axetale, Axetale, Family Bonding, Gen, The Hunger, bad food puns, just a lil violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-16 09:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sins_of_the_Scruff/pseuds/Sins_of_the_Scruff
Summary: Sans has to come to terms with himself after a misunderstanding with Aliza turns deadly and she flees alone into the treacherous dark woods. He has to go out and save her and all the while, decide if his painful past is worth opening up and if his daughter will still love him even after he's all but bared his literal damaged soul to her.





	1. Regret

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thebananahasspoken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebananahasspoken/gifts).



> A short ficlet based on an Undertale AU, Axetale, paired with lyrics from different Repo! the Genetic Opera songs. 
> 
> Chapter 1 includes lyrics from Legal Assassin, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7rARRopvuQ

Assassin….                                                Butcher….  
                     Murderer....  
                                             Monster….  
              Sans…           Demon….

Assassin….         Monster….            Butcher...

         Murderer….                        Sans….  
  
Monster….                 Demon….

MURDERERASSASSINDEMONBUTCHERKILLER….Sans….

Sans.  
_Sans._  
_**DAD!**_

The snow blew in from the open door haphazardly, the wind fierce enough to chill someone, even a skeleton, down to the bone.

Sans hadn’t moved from in front of the entryway since Aliza ran out the door. He hadn’t meant to lash out at her, his own daughter. She didn’t know the simple locket she held in her hand was so precious to him. No one, not even Papyrus was allowed to hold it. It was his and his alone.

He slowly walked over to where she dropped it and cradled it in his cracked and worn fingers. He clicked it open and the fractured image of his beloved filled his two toned vision. The ever present smile he wore on his face stretched a little wider, comforted by her loving gaze. In a moment of clarity he looked towards the open door to see the bones he sent shooting wildly still embedded in it and the surrounding wall. A splash of blood covered one of them and silently dripped to the floor.

_“Aliza…”_

**_Where did our daughter go?_ **  
**_It's me she must escape._ **  
**_My burdens I can't erase._ **  
**_The mother I might have saved._ **

He stared at the dark, snowy landscape just beyond the door for some time more before snapping the locket shut. His Frisk was gone...and now Aliza had fled. He couldn’t lose her, not when she was the only thing that kept him tethered to the real world. What was real anyway now? The Hunger had taken everyone and there was very little hope that the Underground would ever recover from such a disease.

**_Assassin...Murderer...Monster..._ **

The whispers never left him be. Always in the back of his mind, they tormented him relentlessly. Sans turned back and crept to the fireplace and moved one of the items on the mantlepiece to the side and an audible click sounded. Slowly, the fireplace moved to the side, the rusty gears grinding loudly. He placed the locket around his neck where it belonged and began a slow descent into the darkness.

At the bottom, he palmed an orb shaped indention on the wall and one by one, sickly lights began to manifest. What was once a place of knowledge and science and the odd ketchup bottle littering the floor, was now a dusty crypt of distant memories. Little knick knacks and photographs lined the counter tops in mad disarray along with a single portrait of his beloved Frisk on the wall at the end.

A small striped sweater dress was carefully folded at its base and sans delicately ran his fingertips over the soft material. He gripped the material gently and brought it to his face, her faint scent filling his nasal cavity. He placed the dress back in its spot and smoothed it out, keeping it like it was never touched to begin with.

His gaze slowly moved over to a dust covered floor length mirror. It was cracked from when he slammed his fist in a bout of anger and sadness when Frisk first left. Glass shards were permanently embedded into his hand because of it. He looked at his fractured self and for a split second he saw the ghostly image of Frisk behind him and he placed a hand on its cold exterior in sullen silence.

**_Frisk, I need you now._ **  
**_Look what I've become._ **  
**_The nightmare that she should fear_ **  
**_Is the father you left alo~ne!_ **

_Meanwhile, out in the forest..._

Aliza’s lungs burned with exhaustion, but she couldn’t stop running. She had no idea the locket she found out by the dilapidated sentry station was her father’s, but was even more surprised to find her own mother and father from obviously better times staring at her as she clicked it open. Her fingers ran across the photo, tears stinging her eyes.

It was obvious this was her mother, and to see her father, whole and happy in her embrace was comforting. When she went to ask sans about it, he was adding logs to the small fire. She mentioned the locket and he stiffened and turned, his hand going to his chest, frantically grabbing for something.

His gaze landed on her hand that held the locket and his calm demeanor suddenly twisted into unbridled rage. The right eye extinguished as his golden pupil crackled with energy as jagged bones manifested out of thin air and shot towards her. In a panic, she dropped the locket to shield herself as a bone grazed her cheek and she instantly felt pain. She saw no recognition in his glare as he stalked towards her and her fight or flight instinct was triggered. She wasn't about to fight the only kin she had left and chose to tear open the door and fled into the snowy forest.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

_**The years roll by without you, Frisk.** _  
_**15 years have come and gone.** _  
_**I’m raising our Aliza with the best intentions.** _  
_**But there is something I can't tell her.** _  
_**I am lost without you here!** _  
_**I am only living out a lie!** _

His hand slid from the mirror and he turned and paced the room, staring down at all of the trinkets and photos that held so much memory in them. A lone, dusty box was on the end of the tables and he brushed the dust gently away and lifted the lid. Inside were homemade gifts from some of the Underground residents to him and Frisk. Many of the items were baby themed as Frisk’s pregnancy was much anticipated before she was forced above ground.

There were tiny cooking gloves from Papyrus, a small recipe book from Queen Toriel, a small toy spear from Undyne who was more than ready to train a small baby right out the womb much to his and Frisk’s uneasiness. Alphys had chipped in one of her fantasy mangas, Napstablook quietly left a pair of headphones, and Mettaton had so graciously given the two of them TONS of baby clothing, with his brand name all over them, of course. And lastly, from his dearest friend, Grillby, a beautiful glass baby bottle handcrafted from his own fire with a faded sticky note that still read, _“free of charge”._

Tears formed in his one good eye as he rummaged through to the bottom where he found his own gift to Frisk, the tiny pink slippers that matched his own set he once wore. He held them close as the tears flowed and dripped silently onto them as he mourned the birth of his child he was unable to see.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was so close to finally having his happy ending, free from the turmoils of the resets, the countless deaths, and was relieved to finally be starting a family. Then it all went to Hell when that damned flower tore his entire world apart. He placed the slippers back into the box and replaced the lid, once again taking careful note to set it exactly where it had been before. He crept back to the portrait of his beloved and collapsed to the ground, grasping his head in his clawed hands, crying loudly.

After a few minutes of letting out the grief that had been steadily building, he whispered to himself, _“it’s so hard, Frisk. It’s so hard not to just give up and waste away like the others. You’ve gone, Papyrus is…”_ He smiled weakly, _“Papyrus is so good to Aliza. You’d be so happy to see how they get along. He treats her just like his own baby sister...but now I’ve frightened her away. What will happen to her? To us? ….I’m the monster I always knew myself to be…”_ He gazed back up to the portrait and his eyes went wide as a familiar voice whispered back to him.

_“I love you, sans, but sometimes you are the biggest bonehead”_

Sans smiled a little as he sniffed and wiped away some of his tears. Somewhere in what was left of his rational mind, he knew these whispers were not real, but just an evil aspect of the Hunger that ravaged his magic. But, still he continued to talk to it, as it gave him the only comfort he could find. _“Yeah, yeah Frisk, I know you must find this humerus, but…” His smile fell again, “...you’re not real.”_

He needed to get a grip and start coming to terms with Frisk’s death, no matter how big the hurt it put him through. The air was silent before a tiny whisper echoed through his skull, _“I may not be anymore, but our daughter is real and she loves you very much.”_

He got to his feet, eyes blazing as he angrily pointed a finger at the portrait, _“she doesn’t even know what happened! What I’ve done, the blood I’ve shed! I just...I just want what’s best for her. I don’t want her to suffer the same fate as us..as you did!”_ The portrait remained unmoved and he started to cry again, his eyes dimming till nothing remained the but the deep, dark sockets and he clutched his locket. _“I can’t do it, Frisk. It hurts too much to see you in her face, her voice, hell, she’s even got your same stubborn streak.”_ He sniffed and rubbed the dirty tears from his face.

_**Aliza can never leave.** _  
_**She is my everything.** _  
_**Nothing can bring you back** _  
_**Aliza is all I have!** _

_“Heh, tibia honest, maybe it’s my subborness that she has. She doesn’t take to the puns like you did and tells me to stop with all the dad jokes. I can’t help it, she’s my last line holding me together...without her, I’m nothing”_

A cold, comforting veil wrapped around him almost like a hug. He swore he could feel Frisk’s arms around him once more, her warmth seeking the chill of his bones. He returned the ghostly hug as best as he could as he heard her faint whispers disappearing into the thin air. _“She will not hate you, sans. She is your daughter as you are her father. Tell her everything and guide her as she grows with magic. When you see her, know that I’ll always be with you. Forever and ever, bonehead.”_

He felt a phantom kiss press against his teeth and then the voice faded away, _“ Go now, Aliza needs you…”_

Aliza’s screams pierced the silence and sans slowly came to his feet. His left hand outstretched as both pupils blazed to life to bring a weathered, but razor sharp axe into being. He flew up the stairs and as he dimmed the lights, he gave the portrait of his smiling Frisk one last look.

_“See ya around, kid.”_


	2. Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Repo! song lyrics used are Chase The Morning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkLOWgag06c) and Night Surgeon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wwZ814rSIA), respectfully.

Completely lost in the middle of the macabre thicket, Aliza realized just how far off the trail she had gotten herself. She literally had no idea how to get back to the house and that was a serious problem. Slowing down just enough to catch her breath, she felt the cut on the side of her face. It wasn’t too deep and the blood that flowed was starting to dry to crust which she wiped away along with some tears that were shed silently.

_“I’m so sorry, dad...”_

She didn’t yet know the story behind her mother and father, but one look from that locket photo told her many things. She saw that they were very happy together and that the Underground wasn’t always the dark, deadly, and depressing world it currently was. Seeing that only made her desperate to know more. Aliza hoped that with the locket back with her father, he’d calm back down and come to his senses. She didn’t believe he would hurt her intentionally, but it was obvious whatever was wrong with him, having the locket in her hands made her seem like a visible threat. If she were able to make it back to the house, maybe he could slowly start to answer her questions and unravel the mysteries in the journal that led her here.

Sensing she was alone for now, she sat beneath a tree and fished the journal out of her bag and looked over the stained and worn pages with the glue and taped scribbles and notes. After a moment of frustration, she sighed and reached for her magnifying glass. One particular page was calling out to her in this time of need and she searched for the dog eared section.

Her mother’s handwriting was clear, but the fragments, little paragraphs, and doodles were erratic and to anyone else would appear to be gibberish. It was difficult in the beginning to piece them together what with her poor eyesight and limited reading skills, but she remembered that little by little, she put the clues together to form a map. A map that led back to her real friends and family.

 **_Yield for nothing_ ** ****_  
_ **_Let your life be a dream_ ** ****_  
_ **_Integrity, honesty_ ** ****_  
_ **_It’s too late for me_ ** ****_  
_ **_Don’t look back_ ** **_  
_ ** ******_‘Till you’re free to chase the morning…_**

That little message scrawled on the scrap of paper was kept close to her heart. Whenever she got discouraged or frustrated, she would repeat those words like a mantra to gain the determination to keep pressing forward. It had gotten her this far, but Aliza knew there was still quite a long journey to complete.

That was the least of her worries at the moment though, she still needed to find her way back to the house. Sans had explicitly warned her to stick close to the house as there were other monsters who would kill her on sight with no mercy. She delicately wrapped the magnifying glass back in its cloth and placed it and the journal into her bag as she rose to start walking back in the general direction she came from. The sound of a twig snapping from behind had her bending down to snatch up a thick branch for defense.

She stood her ground for a moment, waiting for whatever made the noise to appear. She scanned the tree line where the noise came from and another twig snapped, accompanied by a menacing growl, this time much closer. Oh that was not good. Choosing not to *stick* around, Aliza clutched the bag to her chest, pivoted, and started to run. Whatever it was that made the noise exploded from the dense forest line and began to give chase after her. She scrambled to gain distance from it as he soul beat erratically.

_“PAPYRUS!”_

She screamed in vain for her lone friend, but nobody came. He was most likely closer to the house where sans kept him and couldn’t hear her. The pursuer seemed to multiply into many and she shrieked as she felt the near miss of clawed hands grabbing at her. She abruptly changed tactic and cut through the trees, weaving in and out of the snarled branches. The growls grew into roars as she desperately tried to think and run at the same time.

A twisted root snagged her foot and she fell, the dirty snow muffling her screams. A burst of determination had her rolling into a defensive position, holding the branch in front only nothing was there, not a living soul was in her sights.

All at once, the growls began to trickle in across the forest and not one, not two, but five feral and emaciated monsters emerged from the darkness, looking very Hungry. They spaced out giving her no real direction to run and she was damned if she turned to try and run again. She looked around and jabbed the branch when one of the monsters got too close. Her eyes glowed as magic rippled across her body. She wasn’t skilled enough with her magic to control it fully, but she wasn’t about to lay down and die that easily.

In all her brainstorming, she didn’t notice one creeping up on the side before it tackled her to the ground. Her magic flared wildly, trying to lock on and keep the rabid monster at bay, but her arms holding the creature away ended up taking the brunt of the blows as it swiped and clawed, in an attempt to get at her neck. Another monster took a hit at the one on top of her and threw him off.

Taking advantage, she hoisted herself up and tried crab walking backwards to escape. The monster who had smacked the other one away bared its yellow stained, jagged sharp teeth at her and snarled. It slipped and slid in the snow, grabbing for her ankles and she kicked at it in vain, sucking in one last breath to scream for someone, _anyone._

 

**_“DAD!”_ **

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sans gently clicked the fireplace back into its closed setting and ran for the open door, very nearly crashing into Papyrus. _“WHERE ARE YOU GOING, BROTHER, AND WHERE IS THE HUMAN? YOU WILL BOTH MISS DINNER!”_ Sans hid the blade of his axe behind him and chuckled, _“Gotta go fetch Aliza, Paps. You start the spaghetti and we’ll be back in time for Mettaton.”_ Papyrus eyes his brother carefully and sans was afraid he’d start to ask more questions when he had no time to answer them. _“HMM, HURRY ALONG, BROTHER. MY SPAGHETTI WILL GET COLD AND NO ONE LIKES COLD SPAGHETTI.”_

The Hunger was incredibly cruel in how it attached itself to someone and robbed them of all their sanity and kindness. Papyrus was somewhat spared from the cruelness by his own making, choosing to live in a fantasy world of his own creation where the Underground is well and good and everything is as it should be. Sans encouraged this behavior as it kept him happy, close to him, and unaware of the wicked world they resided in. Any disturbance to his illusion would cause Papyrus to suffer severe panic attacks that would take many hours to subside and coax him back into his comfort zone.

Even though Papyrus was stuck in his delusional figment, there were times like this where sans was almost positive a spark of lucidity would appear in the tall skeleton’s eyes and he would waver a bit before snapping back into his normal routine. Sans often feared another panic attack was imminent with these occasions and made doubly sure that his brother was fine before attending to other matters.

Thankfully, the look came and went and his brother shuffled into the house, carrying on about what would be going into his super fantastic noodle dish and raving about what would be on the newest episode of Mettaton. Sans sighed and shut the door and locked it, setting the trap to discourage any lesser monster from getting in. After he was sure his brother would be safe,he closed his eyes and kept still to try and narrow down where his daughter had gone. Her desperate cry for him echoed across the dark wood and with a small flicker of magic, he was gone.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Aliza braced herself for a slow and painful death before a sharp *fwip* vibrated across the area. The shrill sound of something metal striking the monster at her feet ceased its actions and it whined and crumbled into dust. Ignoring the sharp pain in her arms and ankles, Aliza instinctively scrambled backwards, knocking into something or _someone._

_“Hey kiddo, orange you glad to see me?”_

Peering up, she met the cold stare of her father, his anger not directed towards her, but to the remaining monsters that glared viciously at the newcomer. He held a giant dust covered axe lazily in his left and put his other hand on Aliza’s head, petting her reassuringly. Some of the monsters growled louder and started to advance again. His axe came down to rest in front of Aliza with an audible ‘clink’, its noise a warning that if they dared to come closer, they would no doubt be in for a bad time.

 _“I don’t know how you all managed past my puzzles, but if I were you, I’d make like a banana and split unless another one of you wants to bite the crust.”_ The monsters groaned and growled louder as they started to advance towards the both of them. Aliza dared not to say anything about the puns, that could be dealt with another time. She winced as her arms continued to bleed and she struggled to stay conscious as her adrenaline tapped out and she slumped against his leg. _“Dad, I’m...I’m sorry…”_ Sans’ grin faltered as he gently lay her up against the tree beside them, stroking her face gently.

 **_I remember every dying whisper,_ ** ****_  
_ **_Every desperate murmur..._ ** ****_  
_ **_I remember when I gaze upon her,_ ** **_  
_ ** ******_She looks just like you..._**

Assured that she was still breathing, he stood with renewed vengeance, his homicidal throb of magic causing the very air to become dangerously thick and the monsters themselves grew antsy with the change in the atmosphere. His axe scraped against the ground as he turned, and from beneath his hood the blue light of his right eye had completely snuffed out as his left eye flared its twisted gold and the pupil constricted. His grin spread across his face and with the shadows that fell, cast his appearance in an ominous, maniacal fashion. The punster executioner had arrived.

 **_I remember, I remember!_ ** ****_  
_ **_I remember judging every victim_ ** **_  
_ ** ******_With acute precision..._**

_“So sad there won’t be any funerals for you miserable filth. After all, not appreciating my puns was a grave mistake…”_

The monster who had attacked Aliza first leapt towards sans, aiming for the open side of his skull. He waited till the last minute and stepped to the side, bringing the axe down to cleave the monster’s head nearly in half. Dust rained down on him and he breathed it in, reveling in the violence. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was grateful that Aliza was unaware of this side of him. That would have to be explained soon, but for now, why not have a little fun?

  
**_I remember every time I hold you,_ ** ****_  
_ **_My sharp companion..._ ** **_  
_ ** ******_I remember, I dismember!_**

The remaining three came all at once for him, their focus solely on ridding themselves of this meddling monster. He blocked the first with his axe and threw them back, as they crashed into the tree with a sickening snap. The other two rushed in from both sides and he jumped back, causing the two to ram into one another. He didn’t give them the chance to stand back up before he brought his axe up with both hands and brought it down with a cackle, severing both in half, spraying dust everywhere.

Still laughing, he wrenched the axe from the ground, rubbing his clawed thumb over the edge and admired that it still held it sharpness. Even as the Hunger ravaged and mutated his magic, it almost seemed to give his weapon a permanent malice touch to it, never needing to sharpen it. What was left of his cracked soul was beating rapidly, burning in need of more bloodshed. He sighed and took a few moments to calmly breath in and out, calming his murderous urge.

Aliza was still unconscious as she lay against the tree when sans went to check on her. Her arms were horribly clawed and bloody and sans nearly felt overcome with rage again, but the need to get his daughter to safety overruled his need for more blood. He bent to pick her up when he heard a grunting noise from the last monster that was left. It was trying to pick itself up despite its broken limbs and snarled at sans.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent his axe flying, the sharpened tip impaling the monster into the tree. He took his time strolling up to the struggling monster and the pushed the tip of the axe harder into it’s body, _“I know this might sound cheesy, but I feel grate about getting to do this.”_ He twisted the axe around eliciting a painful groan from the monster and then pulled it free. The body was dust before it fell to the ground as sans hacked it apart.

_“Get dunked on…”_

Covered in a thick layer of dust and grime, sans let the axe disappear and after a few moments, he walked over to his daughter and carefully picked her up, noting he needed to get her medicine quickly. He decided not to teleport as he burned too much magic and if left unchecked, his need for bloodshed would become unquenchable. He began the trek home, recalling what had happened within the last few hours and wondered if what his ghostly Frisk had said would be true.

Could Aliza love him after what he did? He worried about how to tell her of his past and continued to think about what to do the entire way home. He made very little progress by the time he caught sight of the snow covered roof of their home. Just before he opened the door, he brushed the hair from her face and stared at the mark he inflicted. He pulled her close, tears threatening to flow,

 

 **_“Dear Aliza, I am so sorry.  
_ ** **_Can you forgive me for this?”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many bad puns, I'm sorry, sans. XD I hope to wrap this little blurb and make it sappy sweet in the 3rd chapter. Sans deserves some sweetness in this Hell of a universe.


	3. Reconcile

The door opened slowly as the tired monster staggered in with his still unconscious child. As if on cue, Papyrus stormed out of a heavily smoking kitchen, waving his cooking spoon at them.

_“SANS, YOU LAZYBONES. YOU AND THE HUMAN ALMOST MISSED DIN-”_

There was no time to hide Aliza and sans had used up too much of his magic in the fight. He would just have to deal with Papyrus later unfortunately. He walked past his dumbfounded brother and gently deposited her on the ratty couch, minding her injured arms. _“Paps, do me a favor and grab the metal tin off the top of the fridge and bring it here.”_  Papyrus didn’t move for a moment, his eyes still transfixed on his injured friend. Sans turned and stared at his stupefied brother for a moment before sternly grabbing his attention, _“Paps.”_

Sans’ voice spooked him and the cooking spoon fell from his hand to the ground, _“Y-YES, BROTHER, T-THE METAL TIN. I’LL BE RIGHT BACK.”_  Sans watched as his brother moved erratically, sighing into his hands and wondering how long it would take to calm Papyrus back down from this. He looked at the deep gouges in Aliza’s arms and realized they would have to be cleaned before he could wrap them up. He would have to go check his traps for meat for himself and Papyrus as well.

Sans noticed her bag around her shoulders and maneuvered it off and took a peek inside. There were little items here and there, something delicate wrapped in cloth, and… a journal. He gently pulled it out of the bag and stared at it, his sockets going wide with shock. The journal was faded with wear, thick with information, but what held his attention was his name written everywhere on the cover. He ghosted his fingers over the text and realized that handwriting was familiar. It was Frisk’s.

__**Sometimes I’d stay up all night  
Wishing to Stars that I was the one who died.  
Sometimes it’s not enough time.**

He glanced over to Aliza and back to the journal, tears welling up in his good eye. While he didn’t dare open the journal up, somewhere in his cracked soul, he knew this was what brought Aliza here. Frisk hadn’t forgotten about him, had loved him till her final breath, and even after her passing, her love remained for him…through Aliza.

__**But I didn’t know I’d love you so much  
I didn’t know I’d love you so much  
I didn’t know I’d love you so much**

_**…But I do…** _

_“BROTHER. I HAVE FOUND THE METAL TIN. NOW TELL ME, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN?!”_

Papyrus’ hands were shaking, rattling whatever was inside the metal tin. His brother’s fragile state was cracking and sans needed to placate him before the panic attack really set in. Quietly, sans turned and took the the tin, setting it on the table next to him. He grasped his brother’s hands, _“She will be alright now that you’re here. A doctor has to have a good nurse, y’know. Do you want to help make her better?”_

Sans hoped that luring Paps into a scene would pacify him, but felt a stab of fear when his brother continued to ask questions, the panic quickly turning to irritation. _“SANS. THIS IS NO TIME FOR GAMES. WHO HAS HURT THE HUMAN AND WHY?!”_  Sans thought for a moment, and then shrugged _.”It doesn’t matter, bro. They’re dealt with.”_ Papyrus stared at him,  _“DID YOU TAKE THIS MATTER TO UNDYNE?!”_

Sans smiled eerily, _“Nah, sorry, bro. I thought it’d be best to take care of it myself. Tried to talk the guy into apologizing, but he ended up losing his head. Told Undyne it was an honest axe-ident though.”_  Papyrus groaned, _“THAT IS NOT PROPER GUARD ETIQUETTE, BROTHER. -SIGH- BUT, IF HE INDEED DID CAUSE GRIEVOUS HARM TO THE HUMAN, THEN I WILL CONSIDER THE MATTER CLOSED.”_ He stared down at Aliza,  _“WILL SHE LIVE?”_

Sans cracked open the tin and sighed in relief,  _“Of course, Paps. Like I said, I got a good nurse helping me. Now sit here, and watch her while I go out for water to clean her wounds. Can you do that for me? If she wakes give her one of these.”_ He held up a single wrapped monster candy.  _“You have to make sure she eats this, Papyrus. It might be stale, but she has to eat it. I need to go fetch clean water to wash her wounds as well as check the tra-er, puzzles.”_

Sans stood as Papyrus took his place on the table, grabbing the tin to hold in his lap. _“HMM, YOUR PUZZLES HAVE BEEN LACKING CALIBRATION. I WILL ALLOW IT. I WILL NOT MOVE FROM THIS SPOT, BROTHER.”_  He patted him on the back,  _“I won’t be long. If she wakes, just try and keep her calm. Fluffy Bunny is around here somewhere, right?”_  Papyrus grinned and reached behind him for a stack of faded books, _“ALL 5 BOOKS ARE HERE!” Sans smiled, “Good, Paps, how about you read a little to her, that’s gotta be a cure for something.”_

And just like that, Papyrus eyes seemed to glaze over, the far away smile spreading across his face as he happily dove into one of the books and dramatically told the tale of Fluffy Bunny Goes To The Fair complete with character voices. Sans left his brother to care for his daughter and slipped out the door. His axe materialized and he swung it up to let the blade hang over his shoulder. His daughter now safe and sound for now, his soul called for blood to replace the magic lost in the battle. He would also need to keep Paps sated, lest he accidentally go after Aliza. He made his way down a narrow path and saw several traps still untouched. But, one trap was triggered, and sans grinned. This particular trap once triggered clamped down on the victim like a giant bear trap. However, it seems something was able to drag itself away, leaving a very fresh blood trail. His twisted golden eyelight flared to life.

The hunt was on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Papyrus had just finished the first 3 Fluffy Bunny books when the rusted tin moved on his lap, breaking him from his concentration. He stared down at his friend, seeing the horrible criss crossed slashings on her arms that were obviously from holding them up in defense. His little friend would never hold up in the Royal Guard if she couldn’t learn the simplest of defense moves! His mind started to wander as he thought of little puzzles he could make to help when she suddenly groaned in pain.  
 _  
“D-dad?”  
  
“FEAR NOT, HUMAN. IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS.”_  
  
The human shifted a little and winced, _“W-where did sans g-go, Papyrus?”_  She tried to sit up, but the blood loss had left her very lethargic and she struggled just to form words. Papyrus quickly opened the tin and grabbed the red candy and shoved it in her face. _“HUMAN, EAT THE WRAPPED CONFECTIONARY. I KNOW IT’S NOT GOOD TO EAT SWEETS BEFORE DINNER, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ALLOW IT THIS ONCE.”_  
  
Aliza was too weak to open the wrapper, so Papyrus ripped it open and crammed it into her mouth. Aliza sputtered and hissed as the deep wounds on her arms started to mend, leaving scratches and the trail of dried blood.  _“Th-thanks, Papyrus. C-can I have some water?”_ He shut the tin and stood up looking at the door. _“SANS HAS GONE TO FETCH WATER. I WILL GO FINISH THE SPAGHETTI SO WE CAN EAT WHEN HE GETS BACK. YOU WILL LOVE TONIGHT’S MEAL. NYEH HEH HEH.”_  
  
The loud skeleton lumbered off and Aliza did not move for a couple of minutes as she tried to collect herself. Memories were sparse after running into the blinding snow covered forest, but she recalled the monster attack as well as her father appearing to save her. She must’ve blacked out shortly after his arrival as only various noises that her subconscious held onto during the attack remained.  
  
There was so much screaming…and that laughter…it chilled her to the bone. The medicinal candy was doing its job, albeit very slowly, and Aliza felt her eyes drifting closed again; the darkness calling forth once more…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was very cold wherever Aliza was.  
  
She didn’t know if she was dead or alive as she bore no marks on her arms from the previous encounter with the rabid monsters. She sat up and looked to see nothing but darkness all around her and shivered as the chilling silence seemed to pierce her veins. She continued to look around wondering if she should rise and investigate when a spotlight suddenly appeared out of nowhere and she saw her father standing with his back to her.  
  
 _“Dad?”_  
  
The figure flinched, turned, and while it looked like her dad, the expression on his face was one she had never seen before. His golden eyelight blazed in intensity and his smile was stretched tight across his face. In his hand was a bloodied axe that he leaned on lazily. The light switched off and Aliza felt a chill run up her spine as his laughter echoed across the black space. A group of lights switched on to her side and she saw him brandishing the bloodied axe cleaving several monsters, relishing in their horrid screams.  
  
The scene disappeared and another appeared, this time his entire face and torso were sprayed with blood as gore dripped from his mouth. He was cackling as he held a dying monster his grip and forcefully ripped its throat out. The scenes replayed over and over, gaining intensity and ferociously becoming a blur of screams, laughter, and bloodied noises. This was not the loving dad she recognized, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew this was still her father. Sans suddenly emerged from the blur of the gruesome scenes and stalked towards her, dragging the bloody axe and a writhing monster behind him.  _“Time to join the family, Aliza…”_  
  
He threw the monster to her feet and Aliza shook her head desperately, but when she looked back down at her hands, they were covered in blood and she felt the metallic taste running down her throat as a crazed giggle left her own mouth. Sans only grinned, _“That’s my girl. Making daddy proud.”_  Horrified, Aliza curled into a ball and clasped her head screaming,  _“IT’S NOT REAL. IT’S NOT REAL.”_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Papyrus nearly dropped the pot of cooked spaghetti when he heard the human screaming in the livingroom. Placing it to the side he ran back in and saw her curled up on the couch, screaming loudly.  _“HUMAN?”_  Papyrus reached out to shake her from the obvious nightmare, but was shocked when he found himself held painfully still by something. Fighting the force holding him, he saw that the Human’s hands were bathed in blue magic like sans’. He could not remember what the magic meant, but baser instincts told him it wouldn’t be good if she moved her hands in any sort of fashion while she held him captive.  
  
 _“N-NYEH, HUMAN, P-PLEASE…LET ME GO.”_  
  
She jerked at his voice and he yelped as he was forced to his hands and knees, her magic considerably strong and erratic. He squeezed his eyes and desperately shouted in his mind for someone, for Undyne, for sans. A miracle arrived as the door opened and sans came in carrying a sack of what was their dinner and a couple pails of water for Aliza. All three hit the ground as his own magic flared to life, sensing the threatening force in the room. He saw Aliza panicking on the couch, her blue magic lashing out behind closed lids and through her hands. Papyrus was covered in that same blue magic being forced to the floor. _“S-SANS, MAKE HER STOP. W-WHY IS SHE DOING THIS TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS?!”_  
  
Sans quickly ran over and clasped his hands over his daughter’s. Her magic was strong and for a moment, even sans wondered if he’d get her to calm down in this state, but he stroked her hands and then the side of her face, whispering quiet instruction, _“Calm down, Aliza, no one is going to hurt you.”_  She screamed again and tried to pull away, forcing another wave of magic out and around, the sound of Papyrus’ groans as the cracking of bone filled the living room.  
  
Sans snarled and forced himself back against the defensive magic. He had to stop her before she hurt Papyrus more or herself!  _“Aliza, daddy’s here. Shh, shh, everything is fine and you’re safe. Safe with me and Papyrus. I swear nothing will hurt you after this…”_ Tears started to shed from her closed eyes and he held her tight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The noise had dulled to silence when Aliza felt something touch and speak to her in an unfamiliar voice,  _“Calm down, Aliza, no one is going to hurt you.”_   She screamed and fell back, attempting to get away, only to stop when the darkness lit up all at once. It was almost blinding and she covered her poor eyes with an arm. As the brightness faded to where she could squint and see, the light seemed to dissipate into tiny white butterflies that quickly faded away.

Only a tiny red butterfly remained, fluttering around as if waiting for her to acknowledge it. _“H-Hello?”_  The butterfly flew over and hovered in front of her and she held her hands up for it to land on. It felt lighter than air and she gently ran her fingers over its wings, careful to not injure it.

_“You’ve grown so much, Aliza. How wonderful it is to see you…”_

Aliza looked all around for the source of the voice and finally back down to the butterfly, eyes going wide as it continued to speak to her.  _“Do not be afraid, sans will not hurt you. He only wants to keep you safe.”_

The voice was somehow…familiar… _”Mom?”_

The butterfly flew from her hands and up and all around her.  _“Sans loves you very much, Aliza.”_  Aliza sank back down to her knees and hugged herself,  _“Wha-what was all that?! What’s wrong with everyone?! This isn’t how it should be! Why is dad killing others?!”_  The butterfly flew and landed on her shoulder,  _“The Underground has met for a terrible fate, Aliza, but all is not lost. You have the power to change things. You must stay determined and let sans help your magic grow.”_  Aliza sniffed and brushed the tears away.

**_Sometimes I wanted to cry_  
When the people on tv were not quite the way we were  
Somehow I guess I just knew.  
But I didn’t know I’d love you so much**

_“I wish you could be here, mom. I miss you so much.”_

The butterfly flew off her shoulder and gently kissed her nose before flying backwards. For a single moment, Aliza saw a ghostly outline of a woman manifest, the butterfly hovering in its chest.

_“You must go now, Aliza. Be good to sans and Papyrus for me.”_

Aliza shakily got to her feet as the form continued to manifest and she could see her mother’s image fully, clothed in a simple white dress. She now could see where she got her eyes from, though from this it definitely was clear she did get her smile from sans. Tears spilled once more as she hiccuped,  ** _“Mom, I won’t leave you here…”_**

Frisk smiled warmly,  ** _“But you’ve already saved me, dear. Go and change the world for me.”_**  Aliza ran over and threw her arms around her mother. There was nothing solid enough for a real hug, but Aliza could feel the cold embrace of arms being wrapped around her.  _ **“We will always have each other, in our time of need.** When you see sans, see me. When you feel sans’ love, that’s my love.”_

Aliza felt the embrace pull away and looked up to see her mother easing back, her arms outstretched as her form wavered and slowly started disappearing. _“I love you, Aliza. Give my love to your dad and remember, I’ll always be with you.”_ The ghostly form departed and only the red butterfly was left, hovering in the darkness.

_“Add a bonehead in there at the end, too…”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sans paused, he couldn’t promise that last bit he had said for sure, but he continued to whisper to her in the same tone he would when talking to her through Frisk’s stomach when they first found out she was pregnant and Aliza eventually eased up. Papyrus collapsed to the floor as the magic disappeared and he whined in pain. Those few moments that sans waited to see if Aliza would stir felt like hours, but once he deemed her not a threat, he turned his attention to his sobbing brother.  
  
 _“Paps!”_  He frantically looked around for the tin and found it on the floor and snatched another faded candy from it.  _“Here, Paps, eat this!” Papyrus shook his head in a vain attempt to avoid the candy. “Oh for Stars’ sake, Paps, now is not the time! EAT. THE. CANDY.”_  When Paps still refused, sans did the only thing he could think of,  _“GIVE ME A BONE HERE, PAPS.”_ Papyrus opened his mouth to express his displeasure at the pun and sans took the moment to shove the candy in and clamp his jaw shut. Paps struggled but eventually swallowed the candy and sans watched as the hairline cracks on Papyrus’ weakened bones sealed up and even regained a bit of their whiteish color.  
  
Sans sighed and held his brother for a few moments and allowed what was left of his soul to settle. He heard shuffling behind him and tensed,  _“Wha-what happened? D-dad, -gasp- Papyrus!”_ He turned to see Aliza sitting up and staring at her hands. _“Did I do this?”_ She stared at him, tears welling in her eyes as the same ghostly blue hue threatened to spill once more.

_“No, no, no, don’t cry, Aliza. It’s not your fault!”_  He grabbed a pillow off the couch and placed it under Papyrus’ head. _“Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll help Paps.”_  Sans stood and grabbed the pails of water and sat on the coffee table, motioning for one of Aliza’s arms. He gently took one of them in his hand and used the other to remove his hood, to better survey what was left of the damage. The candy had healed most of the deep wounds, but they’d still have to be wrapped to finish healing.

He dipped the rag into the water and ran it up her arm, scrubbing the dried blood away. Aliza winced, but stayed quiet, not meeting his gaze at all. There was plenty to talk about and sans realized he’d have to start his conversation sooner or later. He finished cleaning her arms and started bandaging them up when Aliza spoke softly, _“Mom says hi.”_ Sans stopped and stared at her. Aliza finally met his eye and she repeated herself,  _“I said, Mom says hi and…y-you’re a bonehead.”_ He sat in shock for a moment and then smiled and eventually leaned in, holding his skull against her forehead as he brought her into a hug which she returned tightly.

_**”Aliza, you’re the world to me.”**_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sans and Aliza eventually got Papyrus off the floor and onto the couch with Aliza apologizing profusely and hugging the poor skeleton. Papyrus took the hugs in stride, not knowing exactly what the human was sorry for, but would never turn a hug down. He didn’t get many hugs nowadays and hoped he’d get more in the future. Dinner was served and they ate in relative silence, Aliza glancing at sans and Papyrus’ plates more than once and then back to her canned peas.

Sans sighed as the plates were cleared away and Aliza sat at table with the journal and the magnifying glass. Sans came and sat on the other side of the table and waited, _“Alright kid, I guess I should start at the beginning then.”_  Aliza closed the journal and sat attentively. Sans leaned on the table with crossed his arms and took a deep breath, his one good eyelight flaring brightly,  _“Tell me, have you ever heard of a **talking flower**?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! :) My first Undertale themed ficlet completed! It's not perfect, but comments and critiques are welcomed! Hope you enjoyed and be sure to check out the Axetale tumblr for everyday updates and snippets on when the actual Axetale fic, Fracture will be out! Song lyric fragments for this part is from I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much.


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